Vesperian Symphonia
by Eternally Ebony
Summary: One moment, Yuri Lowell was sleeping soundly in the Lower Quarter... the next, he finds himself forced into yet another adventure. Only this one may not be as simple as it seems. ToV characters as ToS ones. Rated T for Tales.
1. As If My Life Isn't Weird Enough

**Disclaimer: ToV does not belong to me.**

**Apparently, I failed the last chapter :( but don't worry, I've rewritten it! Made it better! Hopefully. More in-character, substituting dialogue and certain actions to make it more 'Vesperia' like. Hopefully, it is better (First part is almost the same)**

* * *

Okay, I'm pretty sure I'd fallen asleep in my bed. In my room. At the inn in Zaphias' lower quarter. After spending the day with Karol and Judith, doing random guild jobs. Including tracking down one of our forgetful princess' favorite book... which was being used by Rita in her magic practice. But that's not the point. I'm positive I'd fallen asleep in my bed.

So why the hell am I floating in perpetual darkness, in one of Rita's magic spheres? Heh... maybe Sodia finished the job.

Then the world around me starts illuminating. The light is so bright, I have to cover my eyes. When I reopen them, I'm not floating in perpetual darkness. I'm now floating far above a planet. Funny, doesn't look like Terca Lumireis. I've seen it from the sky enough to know that much. No, it's a completely different place. My first thought is, "_What the hell am I doing here?"_ My second thought? _"Wait... is this thing gonna give out?"_ As creepy as this is, it's made even worse by the prospect of being dropped.

"_**Once upon a time, there existed a giant tree that was the source of mana."**_

That voice... it's so familiar, yet at the same time I can't quite place the name of the person speaking. That's weird. I look around, hoping for maybe another person floating in a magic sphere, "Uh, hello?" No response, so I try again, "Are you just gonna tell me a story?" Remotely, I notice the sphere floating downwards.

"_**A war, however, caused this tree to wither away, and a hero's life was sacrificed in order to take it's place."**_

"I don't see any giant trees," I told the voice. Then I wonder aloud, "Wait, do you mean-? Oh, never mind. I'm an anti-hero."

"_**Grieving over the loss, the goddess disappeared unto the heavens."**_

I sneer at the thought, "Yeah, that's terrible. Not everyone can be immortal, ya know. People die. Plus, aren't you abandoning the people?"

"_**The goddess left the angels with this edict: 'You must wake me, for if I should sleep, the world shall be destroyed'."**_

"Oh, a vengeful goddess, eh?" About the time I realized the sphere wasn't gonna just give out, I laid down on my back and stared upward at the sky. Occasionally, I would glance downward to see how far from the surface we are. Surprisingly, the voice didn't just continue it's narrative. It spoke directly to me.

"_**Are you quite done?"**_

I think about it, "Yeah, I'm done. Continue."

"_**Good. Anyways, where was I?" **_I roll my eyes and almost laugh, but don't, **_"Oh, right. The angels bore the Chosen One, who headed towards the tower that reached up unto the heavens. And that marked the beginning of the regeneration of the world."_**

"And let me guess," I stroke my chin, pretending to think about it, "I'm supposed to protect the 'Chosen One' during this journey?" I'm vaguely aware that I'm floating into a building. We pass through the wall and into what appears to be a school room. Children of all ages are sitting at desks, including Estelle and Flynn. Rita is standing in front of the classroom, lecturing. A body is standing up sleeping behind all the desks, and I realize it's my own. Wow, so did not see that coming.

"_**Mm, something like that. I bid you good luck."**_

I sit and stare upward, "Wait, why would I need- whoa!" Without warning, I'm dropped downwards, towards my body. Then all goes black.

* * *

"Yuri Lowell, wake up! Yuri!"

Something hard hits me square in the jaw. I awaken instantly with a "Gahh! Wha-?" to an unpleasant sight. Rita's staring me in the eye with that angry 'I'm-gonna-kill-you' glance she usually reserves for Karol or the old man. Um... okay? To see her staring me down like this... I wonder what got her so angry in the first place. And then I remember how I got here.

Rita scowls angrily, "How the hell do you manage to sleep standing?" After an awkward pause, she continues, with her arms crossed and her glare set on low, "Well? Aren't you going you going to answer my question, Mr. Lowell?"

"Uh... experience?" I shrug, smirking when the classroom echoes with laughter. Flynn rolls his eyes as Estelle politely covers her mouth to suppress the giggles and fails. Rita sighs, presumably giving up, and turns around, walking back to the front of the classroom. I decide to just listen for now, to see what's going on. They obviously recognize me... but not in the way they're supposed to...

"Never mind. Ugh, I swear... Flynn! You answer it instead," My knightly amigo stands up, obviously taking the opportunity to show me up. Great. No matter where I am, Flynn Scifo always seems to be my rival... or at least, very angry with me. Another story, another time.

Flynn stands at attention as he answers her, though the conceited gleam in his eyes never fades, "Yes, Ma'am. Alexei, the hero," Here, I suppress the urge to growl at his mention, "brought about the end of the Ancient War in the Holy Ground of Kharlan." He flashes a grin back at me, conceited and show off-y. I stick my tongue out at him.

Rita, meanwhile, ignores our wordless banter and continues the lecture I was apparently asleep for, "Right. Afterwards, Alexei formed a pact with the goddess, Martel," Here, I remember that strange story the voice told me, "to seal away the Desians whom caused the war-"

Much to her chagrin and my amusement, Ted, who I failed to notice in the front row, stands and shouts, "But the Desians are back and causing everyone nothing but trouble!"

Our hot-headed mage glares daggers at him, presumably for interrupting her lecture, "And you forget that we covered this last time. Again. When the seal weakens, as it has now, the Desians resurface along with their Human Ranches. Need anything else we've already gone over repeated?"

Ted blushes as the entire class laughs yet again, "N-no, Ma'am. Sorry I wasted your time," He sits back down and Rita, seemingly neutralized by his apology, continues to lecture.

"Now, as I was saying..." Rita draws a symbol on the chalk board, one I swear I've seen before... back at the castle while we were rescuing Estelle, "Today is the Day of Prophecy. It's the day where our savior, the Chosen of Mana, will receive the Oracle of Martel from heaven. Afterwards, she will begin her pilgrimage, called the Journey of Regeneration. Now, Estelle."

Ah, Estelle. A familiar face that isn't perpetually mad at me. She stands up, bowing politely, "Yes, Professor Mordio?"

"Tell the class about the Journey of Regeneration," Rita's voice isn't the commanding bark it was when she was addressing Flynn and me. It's softer. Of course, Rita's always had a soft spot for Estelle, no matter how much she tries to deny it.

The pink-haired girl folds her hands behind her back as she recites, probably from a book, the answer: "Upon passing the trials of the Goddess Martel, the summon spirits upon which she had bestowed the responsibility of the world's mana awaken from their deep slumber, and mana is restored. The journey is also apart of Alexei's pact with the goddess. By completing the journey and becoming an angel, the Chosen fulfills Alexei's vow of the pact, and the Desians are re-sealed beyond the void."

"That's right. Though I'd be surprised if the Chosen herself didn't know the answer to that, of all questions," It figures I'd be in this aiding Estelle. Why is she always tied up in the world's problems? "Mana depletion occurs because the Desians consume vast amounts of mana in their Human Ranches. Because of this, the summon spirits of Earth and Water are unable to properly nourish the land. That's why Sylvarant is suffering from food shortages and droughts," Estelle, at this point, smiles back and me and waves. I wave back, kind of but not really hiding my confused look. She giggles, "Now, for the next question-"

A blinding burst of light interrupts her. My second that day.

Everyone else is mesmerized, and Rita has to calm things down in her cool, collective way. "QUIET! ALL OF YOU!" It's not perfect, but it certainly got the classroom to settle down and listen. Rita rushes over to the window and looks outside, "That's probably the Oracle now. I'm gonna go check it out. Alone," She adds after eying the class, which varies from ages Ted to myself, "Everyone else BETTER be studying on their own when I return," And with that, she rushes out, grabbing a staff on the way out.

Estelle stands, "Professor, wait! I'll go with you!" The younger girl moves to follow Rita, but stops when Rita shakes her head.

"Sorry, Estelle. I can't just be blindly thrusting you into danger, especially on the Day of Prophecy. Wait here with the others. The priests will come for you if it's time," And with that, she rushes out the door, leaving us alone to 'study'.

The girl sits back down, "Yes, Ma'am..."

Okay... this is weird. Of course, being Yuri Lowell, I'm used to strange happenings and such. But this is... this is the very definition of strange! The students, ignoring Rita's threat, start moving around, conversing with others and Flynn, to my surprise, is actually studying. Either he's a complete nerd in this universe, or he's genuinely afraid of Rita, which I don't blame him for if that's the case.

A pair of hands grab me suddenly and I'm pulled into the hallway just outside the classroom. The culprit, to my surprise (not!), is Estelle. She's frowning seriously with that determined sparkle in her eyes... I've been through this before. I know where this is going.

"Yes, I'll take you wherever you need to go. Just don't yell," I whisper.

She seems surprised, then nods, back to serious-mode, "Thank you, Yuri," She whispers back, "That light came from the Martel Chapel, and as Chosen it's my responsibility to receive the Oracle. Not to mention," She looks down, clearly saddened, "My grandmother should be there. I have to make sure she's okay."

"Don't you worry. Now let's-"

"Get out of here before Flynn shows up?" The blond finishes, having appeared from nowhere. Estelle jumps, falling backwards. I stare Flynn dead in the eye, not really startled by his sudden appearance. Living on the edge, with knights constantly chasing you down, does that to you.

"Hello, FLYNN," I emphasize his name for the sheer purpose of annoying him. You'd be surprised how useful annoying your opponent can be.

The knight closes in on me, his blue eyes squinted in anger, "I don't think you'll be leaving here, Yuri. Rita told me to keep an eye on you today, and I intend to do just that. She'll kill me otherwise, and it's hard to hide from your sister," They're siblings in this world? Could've fooled me. Meanwhile, Flynn flinches at the thought of what Rita would do to him.

"In that case..." I quickly wonder whether or not this will actually work, then decide to try it, "come with us."

"WHAT?"

Well, that certainly pissed him off, "I'm just saying... you'd be able to look after me just as well at this Martel Oracle-receiving place-"

"Chapel," Every knight's favorite commandant responds.

I nod mindlessly, "Right, Martel Chapel, as you would here. Maybe even better, because it will be just us three."

"I don't think-"

I smirk at him, "Besides, Rita never said where you had to watch me, did she? Nor did she say you couldn't go to the chapel with us to study it," I see the gleam in his eyes, confirming it. Yup, this world's Flynn is a dork, "Only that you couldn't go with her," I still see the doubt on his face and sigh, "If we have to face Rita, and I pray to whomever is listening we do not, I'll say I drugged and kidnapped you, alright?"

Finally, he gives in, "Alright," Score: Ultimate Master Swordsman: 1. Nerdy-Flynn: 0, "I'll go get my weapon."

"Why would you need one?" I asked, "Shouldn't the temple-"

"Chapel," The word-master corrects.

"CHAPEL be some sort of sacred place with, you know, no monsters?"

Flynn shakes his head, smirking condescendingly, "If you could manage to stay awake in class more than a few seconds, you'd know that it's a part of the Chosen's Journey of Regeneration. Estelle, would you care to explain?" The pink-haired girl nods, steps forth and recites the answer, again from a book by memory, I'm guessing.

"The Chosen receives judgment from heaven as apart of her journey to regenerate the world. A large portion of that journey involves battling monsters, to prove to the Goddess Martel that she is ready to accept her responsibility as an angel," The girl frowns, determined, "But we've got to go help the priests and grandmother! I'll get my chakrams. Flynn, you get your kendama. Yuri... you already have your sword."

Wow, guess I'm so used to the blade tied to my hand, I failed to notice I had it in the first place. Flynn, having given up, grabs his kendama, which I recognize as a magical weapon Rita once had to use when the old man broke her whip... long story. So apparently our Flynn's a magic user. Estelle returns with two circles with holes in the center, presumably chakrams. A physical fighter. We exit the classroom as a group.

Upon entering the plaza just outside, we find the entire village seemingly deserted. Is this because of the Oracle-thingy?

"Huh? The town shouldn't be this quiet..." Flynn noted, "Even when we're in school, everyone else continues trading and working and such. Why-?"

"Estelle! Flynn! Yuri!" An unfamiliar voice calls out. A man with neatly groomed blond hair and tidy clothes walk up to us. Estelle gasps upon seeing him.

"Father!" She cries, rushing over and embracing him. Well, that was unexpected.

Flynn also seems relieved to see him, "Frank!" He rushes up to the man, who reluctantly pulls apart from his... daughter, I guess, "What happened here? Where is everybody?"

The man's face darkens, "The Desians invaded shortly after the Oracle's Light flashed. You can actually still see it from here," Shielding my eyes from the sun, I notice a pillar of light emerging from the direction Rita had run in earlier.

"Why?" Flynn seems outraged, and I don't blame him. From what little I know, these Desians are bad people, "The village has a non-aggression treaty with the Desians," Wait, WHAT? "Why would they just attack?"

Frank shakes his head, "I'm not sure. They marched through the village without harming anyone, but they were headed for the temple..."

"Professor Mordio is there!" Estelle gasps, genuinely worried, "And all the priests, and- oh no. Please tell me grandmother hasn't left for the temple yet."

"I'm sorry to say Phaidra left shortly after you left for school," Frank sighs in worry.

Having had enough of their moping, I turn towards the village gate, "Okay, I get it. We have to save the priests, Estelle's grandmother and Rita, help Estelle receive the Oracle and fight monsters along the way," I turn back to them, "Alright, let's get going."

Frank wishes us safe travelings, hugging Estelle one last time. And as we head out of the rear village gate I realize something...

Just who the hell was that voice from earlier, anyways?

**So? Did I pass?**

**Party Member(s) at this time:**

**Yuri Lowell (Lloyd Irving)**

**Estelle Sidos Heurassein (Colette Brunel)**

**Flynn Scifo (Genis Sage)**


	2. Mr 'Blame Your Fate' Guy

**Disclaimer: ToV and ToS do not belong to me.**

**Few Messages:**

**I'm deleting 'Tales of Avatar Vesperia'. Simply because what little plot I had with it I'm now bored of. Nobody reads profile messages, anyway, so I'm putting it here.**

**I re-wrote the first chapter because I realized, 'Okay, this isn't what I wanted', mostly because of a review. That does NOT mean I'm open to ever little suggestion or want to listen to every minor plot detail. It all falls into place. You'll see.**

**I'm trying to portray the characters as YURI would see them, making this a lot tougher. And if I were Yuri, I'd think Flynn was a smart-mouthed show-off. Estelle would be naïve and way too kind. So that's how I'm trying to treat this.**

**Thank you for reading. Have a pleasant day.**

* * *

WOW. That's a large beam of light.

"Uh, Flynn?" I ask, "You said the Cruxis Crystal is what's giving off that light, right?

The knight nodded, keeping tight hold of his kendama, "Yup. Didn't think the resulting aura would be so powerful, though..."

We both look back at Estelle, staring at the light with her hands covering her eyes. Uh, that wouldn't keep it from blinding her... but I don't mention that. Instead, I look back at Flynn, "And it means the Oracle's coming, right?"

"Yup," He responds, "Once it comes, it'll put the Cruxis Crystal on her neck. She'll become the true Chosen of Regeneration. And she'll set off to become an angel and regenerate the world..." We both stare at Estelle. Flynn in awe of the destiny she carries on her shoulders. Myself with concern for her journey and this whole 'becoming an angel' business. Something doesn't smell right about this... it never does.

Estelle backs up a little, "Wow that's bright!" Que sweat-drop, "Oh, I'm sorry! Was that not right?"

I had to laugh. It reminded me of that one time when I first met Estelle outside the castle and she poked my hand during a high-five... it makes me almost miss those times. Almost.

"No, it's fine," I console, "Don't worry about it-" Before I finish, my ears, battle-trained, pick up the sounds of combat near the summit of the hill the tem-CHAPEL was built on, "Do you guys here that?"

I don't think Flynn's as battle-trained here as he was back home, but he seems to have picked up the fight, too, "Yeah, what's with that commotion?"

We listen to the sounds of a raging battle far above us, and soon an older man flees down the steps, most likely fatally wounded. He gasps upon seeing us, "Chosen One!" and rushes down. Not the best move, as he falls midway down the second flight of steps. He doesn't slide down. He tries to get up, but can't. He's just... lying there, squirming in a failed attempt to return to the upright position. To be honest, it's a little sad.

Of course, Estelle runs up to him before I have a chance to, and soon I'm joining her as she sits on the ground next to him, "Hey, are you alright?" The man opens his eyes, stopping his struggle to stand with my words.

"The Desians..." He wheezed, "broke the... non-aggression treaty..." He coughs blood, and Flynn takes a spare cloth from his pocket and offers it to the priest-clothed man. He accepts, wiping his face of the blood staining it, "I regret that... I could... not protect... the... cho-sen..."

Estelle gasps upon seeing the man faint, and I quickly shake him, "Hey! Stay with me," He looks up at me, an eerie acceptance in his eyes. He knows he's gonna die, "How many are up there?"

"Not enough... to stop you..." He wheezed, "Chosen, receive your... des-tiny..." His eyes glaze over as he falls back, limp. Wow, barely a few minutes and someone's already died in my arms. Nice.

"Pastor, hang on!" Estelle cries, moving over to heal his... oh wait. She doesn't have healing powers in this universe. Instead, she wraps the cloth around his chest, performing emergency medical procedures. Eventually, the sadness of the sight wears off, and I'm able to shake her.

She looks up at me with tear-stained eyes as I shake my head. Without much else to do, she starts crying. Luckily, Flynn's not completely hopeless and knows to hug her to calm her down. I watch for a moment, then look at the pastor, then back up to the temple... sorry, CHAPEL grounds. I've already taken a few steps forward when Flynn finally catches up to me, grabbing my arm.

"Wait," He says, and I expect him to try to stop me, to tell me it's too dangerous. But it's Flynn, so it's not surprising in the least when he continues with, "I'm going with you."

I nod, "Okay," then look back at Estelle. She's stopped crying, always stronger than she seems, and was now standing, "Estelle, you coming?"

"Huh? Oh, right," She joins us, and we continue up the temple together. Flynn grips his kendama like a sword, I notice as we go up. And while Estelle does appear to use those chakrams right, while we were fighting she occasionally used one to defend herself like her old shield. Which means... that they, on some subconscious level, remember their old fighting styles. Which means that this whole thing is-

"So, you will be telling me ver da girl is, ya?"

Ah HELL no...

Sure enough, at the top of the stairs, threatening a frightened old woman, was Yeager. THE Yeager. Why is this guy not dead? What's he doing here? And why is he after Estelle?

We could've easily snuck up on them for a preemptive strike, but the old woman, presumably Phaidra, cried out, "Run, Estelle!" as she saw us coming over the hill. The Desians, as they're apparently called, turned around, forcing me to look Yeager in his ugly mug. Well, no universal beauty improvements, I can tell you that.

He ignored me in favor of Estelle, "Chosen One, it's a pleasure to meet you, ya? But, unfortunately... I need you to die."

I sneered at him, "You think you're all high and mighty, Y-you Desian?" I catch myself, remembering that I'm probably not supposed to know his name, "Well, bring it on!"

Now, get this. One of the guards had the gull to LAUGH at me, "HAHAHA! They think we're- ugh!" He was down in no time flat, I can assure you. The other two guards charged at us. Estelle threw one of her chakrams at one, knocking it flat. The other was knocked flat by one of Flynn's spells. Ah, the power of a simple fire ball.

The cowards ran off as a larger one -at least twice my height- came out of the temple, where he was presumably taking care of the rest of the priests. He swung a giant mace -a chain on a ball for you uneducated people- over his head as he sneered, "Do not get in our way!"

Did I mention this guy was twice my height?

It only took a few hits from his heavy mace to knock us all down to the point where we couldn't get up. Estelle was gasping for breath on one side of me, trying to regain the strength to fight. Flynn collapsed to his knees, not as physically strong as a magic user, "Man, this guy's tough! Any bright ideas?"

This, of course, was directed at me. The mace flew at us again. I closed my eyes in preparation for the blow, "Yeah. Brace for impact!"

Huh, whataya know? Luck's on my side, for once.

Someone knocked the mace-guy down on his back, long enough for us to recover. When I open my eyes, I see a pony-tailed blue-haired man with a simple black cape, "What?" He doesn't look back, but proceeds to cast healing spells on all of us. Before Estelle can thank him to death, I ask, "Who are you?

He scowls at me, "...out of the way."

Humph! So friendly!

So, at any rate, the battle continued. Turns out a healer helping us made all the difference, though he didn't actually do much fighting. What little he did do seemed to awe everyone. I just did better at dodging the attacks heading my way. Whoop de do. About midway through the battle, I DID get a lucky blow in and knocked his hammer out of his hands. He then pulled out a dagger the size of a regular sword. Good job, Yuri. That was helpful.

"Blame your fate!" The man proclaimed, placing his sword in his sheathe after we were done. I exchange a glance with Flynn, rolling my eyes. Flynn shrugs.

Yeager scowled, looking more like he'd eaten something rotten than actually upset about the defeat, "Damn, never thought you'd show up... retreat for now!" The men rushed to obey his orders, filing out orderly. I stared at them, then decided their death wasn't worth abandoning Estelle.

They got lucky.

Estelle gasped in awe of the swordsman's skill, "Amazing!"

"You gotta admit, he is pretty good," Flynn accepts, watching me carefully for my reaction. I shrug off the comment. After all, it's not like he really did anything.

The blue-haired swordsman turns around to inspect us, "Is everyone alright? Hmm... no one appears to be injured."

While he talks, something on his hand flashes suddenly. The bright light almost -keyword _almost_- catches me off guard. What is that thing? My right hand immediately reached for my left, where a bandage wrapped the length of my palm. Which was weird, because I never remembered needing a bandage...

"Did you see that?" I whisper to Flynn.

The knight-turned-mage whispers back, "You mean his Exsphere? Yeah, but it looks different from yours somehow."

Hmm... could Exspheres be this world's blastia? This calls for investigation.

At any rate, the conversation continues with Phaidra thanking the blue-haired man for saving Estelle. Despite the fact that Flynn and I had done most of the actual saving and if she hadn't shouted at us earlier, we never would have been in danger in the first place...

Mr. Blue-Head acknowledges Estelle as the Chosen. She gasps in revelation, "That's right! I have to go receive the Oracle now!" She turns to Phaidra, "Grandmother, I know I shouldn't go in alone, but... I have to! It's my responsibility as the Chosen!" One thing never changes about Estelle. She takes all her responsibilities very seriously.

Still, Phaidra is reluctant to let Estelle pass alone. She voices her complaints, stating that it would be harder for Estelle alone, now that the priests are all dead, "So I guess I'll take it from here, then," I state, "I'm already heading in, anyway."

"Yuri? I would be uneasy with just you," Phaidra states, obviously disapproving of me. Why? I have no idea. What on Terca Lumieres... err, Sylvarant, I guess, had I done to make her distrust me so? I could've stolen from her I guess, but... no, that doesn't seem likely.

The blue-haired man stares at me, his face stoic, his eyes speaking a thousand words his voice can't say: confusion, surprise and other such unmanly emotions, "You're name... is Yuri?"

"Uh, yeah," I respond.

He directs his words at Phaidra, ignoring myself and Flynn once again, "I am Yuan Ka-Fai, a traveling mercenary. If you can pay me, I'll accept the task of protecting the chosen."

"Under the circumstances, I have little choice. Please be of service," Phaidra pretends Flynn and I aren't even there. I notice Flynn's getting as annoyed as I am. He prods me to do something (not aloud, but I know Flynn), so I step forward.

"Um, yeah, that's not gonna work for me," I set my coldest glare at them, "Estelle's as much my friend as she is your granddaughter, so I have every right to be by her side to protect her."

Behind me, I hear Estelle gasp, "Yuri..."

"You'll only get in the way, Yuri! Be a good boy and go home."

Can blood catch fire? Like, all on it's own? Because that's pretty much how angry and annoyed I am at this self-important bastard. He can't make me leave, dammit! Luckily, I have a good poker face, look him dead in the eye, and say, "...Gotcha. Then I'll just wait until your inside and chase after you. Shouldn't be too hard, especially with the genius mage at my side. Right, Flynn?"

"Please don't drag me into this..."

"Too late," I laugh.

Yuan stares at me for a moment, then turns away. Probably so the others won't see his smile, "You're a stubborn kid. Fine, whatever. Don't come crying to me if you get a boo-boo."

I hate him, I really do. I turn around and look at Flynn, "Alright! We're in!" He stares at me, stoic for a second, before smiling and giving me a high-five. Ah, Flynn. A troublemaker at heart. Just like me! "Keep up, buddy!" I call as I run into the temple- oh, sorry, CHAPEL.

"Hey, that's my line!" Flynn snaps playfully, running after me.

Yuan and Estelle follow, Estelle giggling at our childish banter and Yuan scolding us about how this, 'Isn't a field trip, you know'. Like I care.

And with that, we enter.

* * *

The temple- CHAPEL interior is NOT what I expected. It's dark and had something of a haunted feel to it. Like a haunted church or something like that. Everything seems to have been placed with a purpose, and nothing with a purpose is out of place. Oh dear, who will keep up with the temple decorating now that the priests are gone?

Phaidra, hopefully. It'll give her something to do besides nag.

The others have some discussion about monsters and the CHAPEL, but I pay no attention. I'm too busy staring at... Yuan, surprisingly. His eyes remind me of Duke's... cold and bitter, scarred by war. I don't think this man is really a traveling mercenary. His timing is too perfect. It's like... he was watching us. It's creepy when you think about it.

"Hey, you," I say to Yuan. The others continue on, but he stops and stares at me.

"Hmm? Is there something you needed?"

"Yeah," I stared him straight in his eyes, "You know what's going on here, don't you?"

He looked at me like I was nuts, "Um, yeah. We're escorting the Chosen through this temple to the Oracle. I thought you knew that."

"Not that. Why Estelle's suddenly 'The Chosen One' or why Flynn can use magic and is suddenly Rita's brother and why everything's messed up. And where the rest of my guild is," I add after a moment. I'm not TOO worried about them, rest assured, but...

Well, most of them could be troublesome on their own.

He studied me for a moment, then began inspecting my scalp.

"H-hey! What are you doing!" I pushed him off, "Give a guy a little warning next time."

Yuan shrugged, "Just checking for bumps. Making sure you didn't injure yourself in that last fight. You'd be useless, otherwise," I scoffed at him, about to catch up to Estelle and Flynn when he stopped me, "By the way, you'll need this. It's a beginner's book for swordsman. If you're going to protect the Chosen, at least know the basics."

Does he realize how much of an insult that is?

I stare at him angrily, then lift the book over my head to club him with once his back is turned and he says, "Now, we'd better catch up with the Chosen," when Flynn called for us. With impeccable timing, as always. I quickly hide the book behind my back as his suddenly hated face shows up at the top of the stairwell.

"Hey! Come on you two! There's a barrier up ahead we can't get by!"

Flynn, naturally, runs off, with Yuan running after him. I stare at the book, debate throwing it at him, then decide to carry it until I catch up with Estelle, the only one of us smart enough to bring some sort of carrying device... her backpack, in this case.

"Damn you, Flynn," I curse as I run off after them.

* * *

**I just realized it this play-through, but apparently, I don't like Phaidra. Genis could've come up with some master plan if she hadn't called out for Colette to run... that's just stupid, alerting your enemies to their target's location. And I SUCK at writing battle scenes. Also, in my game, Kratos never does anything but heal in that first battle. **

**And yes, Yuan plays Kratos. For REASONS. So there. Sorry to all of you who were expecting someone else.**

**Here's a cookie to make it better :D**

**...what?**

**Did this chapter seemed rushed to you? Please tell me.**

**Party Members at this time:**

**Yuri Lowell (Lloyd Irving)**

**Estellise Sidos Heurassein (Colette Brunel)**

**Flynn Scifo (Genis Sage)**

**Yuan Ka-Fai (Kratos Aurion)**


	3. The CHAPEL of Many Monsters

**Disclaimer: ToV and ToS do not belong to me.**

**I had no idea deleting the first chapter would cause you guys to be unable to review. Eh, it had to happen at some point, right? Well, at any rate, the third chapter. We complete the Martel Chapel!**

* * *

"It's sealed," Yuan notes. Thank you, captain obvious.

The 'seal' is a large gate with a semi-circle archway over top and slightly in front of it. In the middle of this archway is some blue energy shield, preventing us from getting past. Flynn was right. It's definitely blocking our path. And looking over it with my eyes, I find no ways to get past it without disabling the shield first. Looks like there's some sort of key needed to open it.

Estelle closes her eyes and recites once again from her photographic memory, "Glyph crystallization, when harnessed by angelic technology, allows the user to emit mana when necessary. However, only one such device, called the Sorcerer's Ring, is known to exist. This Sorcerer's Ring is a gift from the angels of Cruxis to the Chosen of Mana to aid her in her quest to regenerate the world. It is a holy artifact of the Church of Martel, and only the Chosen and her companions are allowed to wield it," She opens her eyes, "The ring is enshrined somewhere in the temple."

Okay, simple enough. But what sort of universal object IS the Sorcerer's Ring, anyways? I'll have to ask Rita about it once the world's done going crazy. Flynn asks Estelle where we could find it, and she responds that she doesn't know EXACTLY where it is. Just that its in the temple. Lovely. Now we'll have to go on a treasure hunt. Well, at least things couldn't get any worse...

...oh, wait. We could still run into Rita. My bad.

So we backtrack a little and go up the left staircase. And get ambushed by monsters. And Estelle and Flynn are totally worshiping Mister 'I'm Better Than You'. Gag me. This way ends up being blocked by fallen debris (Honestly, why don't they clean this place?) We backtrack through the temp- CHAPEL again and go up the right staircase. And... more monsters. What a shock. This way isn't blocked so we continue forward, only to run into MORE monsters! Oh joy. I can't wait to get the Sorcerer' s Ring. We can cut down on these annoying encounters.

There's a stairwell that's, surprisingly, NOT guarded by monsters. Estelle and Flynn are chatting about some homework that's due tomorrow, not that I care, and Yuan keeps staring at me. Whenever he realizes I've caught on, he turns away and pretends he wasn't staring. He KNOWS something. I'm sure of it now. Either that, or he's just plain creepy. And coincidences... there are no coincidences. Everything that happens to us, every chance meeting, was all planned out ahead of time. By Alexei with Raven, by Leviathan's Claw with Zagi... it's all planned.

So now I'm wondering... who the heck planned this? I shake the thoughts out of my head. I'll figure this out later, but now I've gotta keep my head in the game. Prove, once again, that I can protect Estelle.

We pass to the bottom of the stairwell when Flynn goes running off unexpectedly, then leans over the edge of a balcony, pointing at something. I pull him back off the edge as I've done before with Karol (where did this youthful energy come from?) and peer over myself. It doesn't take a genius to recognize something they've worn on their finger for the entirety of an adventure. It's so close... yet so far. We can't just jump off and reach it. The pathway below our feet, that leads to the ring, is dotted with holes that would prevent us from passing.

"That's the Sorcerer's Ring, right?" Flynn asks, "It seems so close..."

I nod at him. Two great minds think alike, right? "We'll have to think of a way to reach it," I turn to ask Yuan if he had any ideas because, as much as I hate to admit it, he IS pretty smart, and spot something behind him. A giant rock? And next to that giant rock is... "ESTELLE!"

Without thinking, I dash right past Yuan and pull out my sword just in time to prevent the giant stone from harming Estelle. It reared back its rocky fists, ready to strike again. Remembering the fight from that golem-thing in the Shaikos Ruins, I dash behind it and knock it down. One thing's for sure. It's definitely less powerful than the rock giant there. It turns a lot quicker, though, as I find out when its arms suddenly spin around and knock me flat on my back. It prepares a finishing strike, but, luckily, I have a blond-haired back-up. Flynn's fireball finishes at that moment, knocking the thing away from me. Estelle then joins, throwing her Chakram to knock it backwards when it tries to get up. Nice one, Estelle!

I run up to it and drive my sword through its rocky abdomen. It curls into a ball and... transforms into a square...

Yuan, meanwhile, doesn't do anything useful. AGAIN.

Estelle inspects the square, "Did that thing... turn into a rock?" She moves closer for a better look.

"It was kind of a rock to begin with..." I note. Estelle moves even closer, poking and prodding it... a little too much. The rock, as a result, falls into a hole in the floor, with all of us staring down at it.

It fills one of the gaps in the walkway below.

"Oops..." Estelle looks down at it, worried, "I'm sorry guys! I screwed up!"

I smile at her, trying to be re-assuring, "It's fine Estelle. I think I've figured out how we're going to get the ring."

"How?"

Flynn takes over for me, having connected the dots as fast as I had, "Any moment now, another monsters going to appear..." As if on cue, another one magically appeared out of thin air. Estelle gasps.

Yuan appears to have gotten it too, "Okay, now we must defeat this thing and drop it down below."

"Why would you-" It clicks, "Oh, I see now. He-he," She adds in a nervous giggle to cover her embarrassment. I place my hand on her shoulder, comforting her. Whatever changed in this universe has appeared to have made her slightly... what's the word? Ditzy. Yeah, that will do.

So, defeating the next one was somewhat simpler, with all of us FINALLY working together. Yuan actually does some decent fighting, Flynn deciphers new formulas (or whatever they're called here), Estelle trips during battle and finds out she can pick up enemy items that way and I figure out how to jump over my opponents head while still causing damage. Overall, the battle was pretty simple. With Flynn's guidance, we figure out exactly which hole to drop it down pretty easily. Unfortunately, we need a second one to complete the pathway to the Sorcerer's Ring. Another fight, another golem defeated. Honestly, by that point it was pretty boring. We were all pretty powerful, having fought pretty much every monster we've seen. Maybe Rita's talk about having bad luck was onto something... or maybe my curse passed over. Point being, we defeated this one with ease and dropped it down, too.

"Well done, everyone!" Estelle congratulates after we finish the path. Flynn and I both smile at her while Mr. Grumpy-Pants just grunts and walks away, towards the stairwell leading to the pathways. Well, then!

"So, this is the Sorcerer's Ring," Flynn observes when we arrive at the alter where it's enshrined, "It's talked about in most of the readings of the Chosen Ones and the Book of Martel," Seriously, Church of Martel, Book of Martel? What next, a tower of Martel?

Yuan nods, taking the ring and presenting it to Estelle, "Most traps and obstacles shouldn't be a problem with this."

Upon receiving the ring, Estelle stares blankly at it before presenting it to me, "You take it, Yuri!"

"Seriously?" I ask. Secretly, I'm relieved I didn't have to beg like a child for it. Having that ring on my finger would increase the normality of my life at least a little bit. It's... familiar, you know? Flynn makes a comment about me being a little kid when I take it, but whatever. Let him talk.

The others talk about the trials of the Chosen One on the way up. I listen in and participate, having started the conversation by asking if everyone is okay. Yuan seems completely at home with fighting, I notice. Maybe it re-enforces his traveling mercenary story, but I still don't like him. On the contrary, Flynn and Estelle don't seem nearly as comfortable with fighting as they should. They're not used to this. They should be more than used to this. Even considering the alternate universe thing, I would imagine that they'd at least have some fighting experience. I mean, the towns can't even protect themselves with barriers. How do they survive?

Once we arrive at the gate, Estelle tells me to use the Sorcerer's Ring to open the door. A fire bolt, about the size of a level two Sorcerer's Ring fires through the blue energy shield, dissipating it. The doors open as a result. I shrug, motioning the others to follow. Flynn mutters something about getting bored, or me getting bored. He doesn't know I've used this thing countless times.

A glowing panel lies on the ground behind the door. And I have to admit, I'm not impressed. Sure, it lights up when you stand on it, but that's it. Flynn rolls his eyes and follows me onto the panel, pressing on the center of it with his foot. The light expands, and the surroundings suddenly grow dark. When the light comes back, we're in a different area. Okay, forget my initial response. That was pretty cool.

Estelle and Yuan use the warp portal after us, after Flynn ushers me off. Captain Obvious looks around and states, "This must be the top floor," Yeah, the giant alter in the center and hole in the ceiling SO did not give that away.

"Yes," Estelle ignores his obviousness, "This is the Alter where the Oracle will appear," Ah, hell. Estelle's been taking obviousness lessons, "That shining thing in the center is the Cruxis Crystal. They say I was born with that in my hand," She smiles at me, and I smile back, "Each Chosen has possessed one of these crystals," Huh, something you don't learn everyday.

"Look at that light," Flynn interrupts. The hole in the ceiling become invisible as the third or forth blinding light of the day shines through. I'm losing count. A golden orb floats down from the light. Yet another blinding light flash. Then, in place of the orb, is a man. With wings. An angel... if only the others could see this...

Yuan stares at me, "Hmm?" And I realize I whispered that last part aloud. I wave him off and bring my attention back to the angel.

Then Flynn asks a question which, mostly likely, will start a chain of emotional events for poor Estelle, "So, that angel... is Estelle's real father?" I stare at him, then Estelle. Her eyes are wide with awe, seemingly ignoring but no doubt contemplating Flynn's question. My attention then shifts to the angel. His robes are what you'd expect a priest to wear. Perfect image of an angel, I guess. Estelle walks forward.

"I am Remiel," The angel introduces himself, "I am an Angel of Judgment. I am here to guide Estellise, daughter of the Mana Lineage, on her journey to heaven as the Seventh Chosen," Seventh? That doesn't have good implifications for Estelle...

The red crystal in the enter of the alter flies upward, into Remiel's hands, "The time has come to awaken the goddess Martel, who sleeps at the center of the world," Doesn't that sound familiar?

"That's the same legend Rita was talking about in class, wasn't it?" I turn back to Flynn, "The one that says that the angels with the edict must be awakened or the world will be destroyed?"

Flynn shakes his head, "You don't have to be so crude about it... but yes, that's the legend."

The crystal flies from Remiel's hands towards Estelle, setting itself on the base of her neck. Estelle fingers it, while Flynn gaps in amazement. I silently scan Remiel. He seems innocent enough, but... well, so did Alexei. I don't say anything though. If Flynn and Estelle knew how skeptic I was being, they'd never let me live it down.

"From this moment, Estellise becomes the Chosen of Regeneration," Funny, I thought she already was, "We of Cruxis bless this event, and hereby bestow the Tower of Salvation upon Sylvarant," Looking out the window, we see a large tower suddenly flash into view. Has it always been there?

"That's the Tower of Salvation?" Flynn's question is more out of disbelief than anything, "It's huge!" He turns back to Estelle, smiling, "Now the world can be saved!" Seriously, I'M the childish one here?

Remiel continues, "Estellise, Chosen of Regeneration, unlock the seals that lock the Tower of Salvation, and climb its stares to heaven in distant lands."

Estelle nods, smiling, "I humbly accept this task," Has she rehearsed this? This isn't the kind of thing you just accept. She's been through all this before, the hypotheticals and phrasings, hasn't she? Remiel nods in approval.

"Very good. We of Cruxis shall grant you the power of the angels with each seal you unlock. Once you are reborn as an angel, this eroded world shall be regenerated," Estelle bows her head, thanking him and swearing that she will regenerate the world. I briefly wonder what fates decided to put this burden on her shoulders. First she's expected to destroy the world. Now she's expected to save it, practically on her own, "First, head South to the seal of water. Offer your prayers in that distant land," Estelle agrees. Remiel begins to ascend again.

"Please, wait, Lord Remiel!" Estelle cries, "I have a question for you, if you would answer it," Remiel doesn't respond directly, so she continues, "Are you really my fath-"

He doesn't express any emotions, "Head to the Seal of Fire first. Understood, my beloved daughter?"

Estelle gasps, "Father! So, you really are my true father!" Tears begin seeding in her eyes, though she seems to have willed herself not to cry. I don't dare interrupt, despite my doubts that he's telling the truth. And he never directly says it.

"We shall meet again at the next seal, my daughter," Another blinding light, and Remiel disappears through the hole in the ceiling, once again an orb of light. After a moment of being shocked out of their minds, though honestly, I've seen more shocking, Yuan tells Estelle they should leave now. The two of them take off, though not before Estelle invites myself and Flynn over to her house later.

"...so, guess the rumors were true," Flynn comments out of the blue, probably just trying to evade the silence.

I stare at him, "What rumors?"

"The ones about Estelle being the daughter of an angel, and having no real relation to her current father."

I shake my head, remembering Hank and Ted, the others from the Lower Quarter and my guildmates. The people I've come to consider family, "I don't think that matters. Estelle will always be Frank's daughter, not because they're related by blood, but because they love each other. No matter how you put it, family is family," Flynn looked away, as if suddenly ashamed. He apologizes, "Don't become Estelle," I tease, "Toughen up," It may seem harsh, but that's just the way we are. That will never change, as evident by Flynn's eye roll and smirk.

Again through the warping panel which, surprisingly, doesn't loose its touch. We talk about what happened -actually, it was just me making up an excuse to not give back the Sorcerer's Ring- and walked into the Central Chamber of the temp- CHAPEL. Where we find...

"This is-" The person cuts herself off, shaking her head and re-examining something.

"...Rita?" I asked, only seconds later realizing what a big mistake I made. She turns around suddenly, shock evident on her face, before it hardens into a glare. Flynn shoots me a look that says 'nice going, genius'.

"WHAT are you two doing here? I thought I told you to stay and study! Flynn, you of all people should know better," Flynn looks away from his 'sister', ashamed, "And you... what the hell were you thinking, coming here?" I shrug, "Honestly!" She takes a stance for a magical spell, then... stops and walks up to Flynn.

"R-rita... please, don't..." He begs. I shut my eyes, hearing some harsh smacking noises. Ouch.

"YURI!" And now its my turn. I open my eyes to see Flynn lying on the ground, thoroughly beaten. I smile at Rita, backing away. Even I'm not stupid enough to pick a fight with an angry Rita. She kicks me, it all goes white for a moment, and then... I'm lying against the wall on the other side of the room, "Now," She seems to have calmed down, "if you two idiots have learned your lesson, go home. I'm staying and finishing up some studies here. Flynn," The boy looks up, "I'll meet you back home. You wanna cook tonight?"

"Yes, ma'am," Rita walks off to another part of the temple.

We both head for the exit. Flynn cuffs me, hard, on the arm, "Nice going, brainiac."

"Sorry," I shrugged, "I wasn't really thinking," In truth, I'm used to being able to talk to her without having my brains blown out. This Rita, however, appears to hate me. It may take a while to resolve that.

We walk up the stairwell, almost out of the temple when this creepy, almost evil laugh echoes through the now empty halls. I exchange a glance with Flynn, "...what the hell was that?"

He sighs, "Really, you're better off not knowing," and rushes out of the temple. All I can do is shrug.

* * *

**POOR Flynn... I stuck him with Rita. And no more complain about them being/looking nothing alike. I've already got that part planned out. This chapter felt short...**

**And at this point, all characters were about two levels above Kratos. The moron. I'll also explain why I chose each character to be the character they are:**

**Yuri (Lloyd)-For the purpose of putting him in Lloyd's shoes (Seriously, those are some red boots to fill)**

**Estelle (Colette) - It fit. Worldly burdens and all that.**

**Flynn (Genis)- Honestly, because of the similar relationships between Y/F and L/G. Nobody else notices this?**

**Rita (Raine)- Similar personalities, if you think about it.**

**Yuan (Kratos)- SPOILERS!**

**Party Members at this Time:**

**Yuri Lowell (Lloyd Irving)**

**Flynn Scifo (Genis Sage)**


	4. Wait FLYNN is breaking the rules!

**Disclaimer: ToV and ToS do not belong to me.**

**I don't have a good perspective on Flynn. Partially because of the fact that I know almost no Japanese, and thus only know the 360 version of the game. Mostly, though, it's because during the game I focused less on figuring out his personality and more on how high a combo I could get off of him. Thus, OOC-ness. So any opinions on his persona would be welcome.**

**AND, though I am fully against spoilers, I will tell you this much: The story will eventually deviate slightly from the regular game path. This will begin happening around the time of the Sylvarant Base escape (The first one).** **Ebony out.**

* * *

It amazes me how stupid people can be. I mean, at least the ones on Terca Lumeries learned a lesson from the whole experience with the Adephagos. Don't depend on others; walk on you own two feet; stuff like that. At the very least, they learned to be cautious. If something like the Desian attack happened in even smaller towns, everyone would be on alert for hours, maybe even days afterwords. The guilds and knights would be at the top of their game.

These people, however, are going on like nothing ever happened. Either they have blind faith in Estelle/ the non-aggression treaty or they are just plain stupid. Guess which one I'm thinking? Especially considering an event as apparently big as this oracle thing happens and no one is bothering to talk to Estelle.

"The village sure is quiet," I tell Flynn, as simply as I can.

The knight turned mage nods at me, "It's a part of the mayor's orders. Or did you forget?" One look at me and he sighs, "Of course you have. The Mayor ordered that Estelle be left alone after the Oracle was received, as they have to plan the Journey of Regeneration."

"...right. Well, lead the way to Estelle's place," Since there aren't exactly any castle's here, I wouldn't know where I'm going. Flynn takes the liberty of going ahead, without question, towards the east side of town. And as we pass people, I begin to hear them speaking and realizing the event isn't quite as forsaken as one would assume it'd be. People are whispering. The children, naturally, are pretty excited, whispering about how amazing Estelle is. Most of the adult's are talking about the cost of the pilgrimage, and what effect it'll have on their taxes. No surprise there. The older people feel more like they're mourning than anything. Again, not a good send-off for Estelle.

Flynn eventually stops, and I stop with him. The largest town in the house. At first, I'd assume it to be the mayor's, but a closer look revealed Estelle's family name faded into the wooden fence. A two-story house, a nice well and a garden growing all around the place. Being the Chosen has its perks, I guess.

I move to enter the house, but Flynn stops my hand, shaking his head. Apparently, we can't just go in. So, I take the option I always take second. I knock. If they don't answer, I'll climb through a window or something. Luckily for them it doesn't come to that. Frank opens the door before I feel the need to suggest that. He bows his head upon seeing us, then returns inside, leaving the door open. I'm not sure if that's a welcome mat or not, but I go in anyway. Flynn follows without complaint. For once.

"...then the protection of the Chosen shall be entrusted to Yuan and Rita," Yuan nods, accepting whatever contract the village had offered him. Frank sits back down and Estelle, not surprisingly, is the first one to notice us. She grins, leaving the table without permission and rushing over, checking us both over for injuries. Same old Estelle. I chuckle and push her off, informing her that we're alright. The mayor clears his throat, "and what, Yuri Lowell, might you be doing here?"

"Well," I start off, "Seeing as Estelle's my friend, its only fitting that Flynn and I be here for this particular meeting, right pal?" Flynn sighs, most likely wondering why he let himself be dragged along. This almost makes me chuckle. Just like when we were kids...

Phaidra slides a familiar book with a blue cover down the table, "Thank you both for your assistance earlier. This is but a small token of my thanks," Wonderful. The Collector's Book. Flynn thanks her in that same polite tone he uses to thank people who come up to him and congratulate him on making Commandant. Not unkind, but letting them know he has more important things to attend to. The best way to reject people, if they get the hint. Phaidra doesn't seem to get it. Flynn elbows me and I thank her too, trying just a bit to sound sincere. Don't think it worked though, because half the room sent dirty glares in my direction.

"So..." I change the subject before any of them can figure out how to melt my face, "you're talking about the Regeneration Pilgrimage, huh?" Phaidra nods affirmatively, despite the mayor's warning glare. I glare back, "Cool. When are we leaving?" This time I get the entire room's surprised expressions. Wow. Were they really expecting differently?

It may or may not come as a surprise, but Yuan, the only one not surprised, is also the first to reject this. He turns and glances at me. I'm not quite sure WHAT he's thinking, but I know it's not rainbows and butterflies, "The two of you will only get in the way. Be good kids and stay home."

"Why am I always dragged into this kind of stuff?" Flynn sighs.

I turn my coldest glare towards Yuan, "I've been with Estelle for quite some time now. You can't stop me from protecting her."

"Maybe so," Yuan acknowledges, "but do you honestly think she needs your help? An obviously inexperienced swordsman with no self-control. I tolerated you at the Martel Chapel, but if you're going to fight that pathetically for the rest of this journey, Estelle wouldn't need or want your protection," and before the poor girl could protest, he adds, "You're not to go on this journey, and that's final."

The mayor nods, "He's right. We cannot have anything slowing down the Chosen."

Flynn seems almost anxious to see my reaction. I'm not going to lose my temper on this jerk. He simply isn't worth it, "...sorry I wasted your time then. But I'm not going to debate someone else's fate while she's sitting right there with no say in the matter," I wave to Estelle, "See you around."

When we reach the outside, Flynn looks to me, "You alright, Yuri?"

"I'll live. It's Estelle I'm worried about."

"Wait! Please, wait up!" We turn around to see Estelle race out of the house, "I'm so sorry!" I shrug, waving her off. Flynn smiles and tells her not to worry about it, being the gentleman knight that he is.

"Oh, right!" I turn as Flynn gives her a small box, "Happy birthday, Estelle!" So today is Estelle's birthday? That's not really surprising, "They're cookies," My eyes widen. Flynn's cooking. Not good. Before he can say anything else, I rush over and check one of the cookies. Looks nice... but just to be sure, I bite into it. Not poisonous. Thank goodness. Flynn, meanwhile, stares a hole through me, "If you wanted a cookie, you could've asked. Sorry they're not anything more special."

Flynn rubs the back of his head while Estelle smiles, thanking him for the cooking. Whoever rearranged the universe, I need to thank them. They fixed Flynn's cooking. Then the knight turns to me and asks about a necklace... what necklace? I don't feel one in my pockets... unless my character was too lazy to make one... ah, hell.

"I forgot it," I state simply.

Mr. Perfect sees right through me, "You forgot it, huh?" I nod, "Oh brother. My apologizes, Estelle."

"No, its alright," She smiles, happy-go-lucky despite everything, "You can give it to me tomorrow, before I leave. I'm sure it'll be beautiful," Someone, probably Frank, calls for her from inside, "As soon as I know when we're leaving, I'll go to your place to let you know. See you later," She bows and returns to the meeting.

Flynn stares me dead in the eye, "...liar."

"Hey, it's not a lie," I protest, "I'll give it to her tomorrow."

The look in Flynn's eyes could kill puppies, I swear, "Right. At any rate, you going home now?"

"Uh, yeah," If I could remember where home is...

"Mind if I go part of the way with you?"

"Part of the way? Where are you going?"

"Does it matter? Come on, lets go," Flynn leads on to the front gate of town, south of the school. I'm finally beginning to map this place out. Flynn's house to the west, Estelle's to the east, school to the north... and we passed a shop on the way here. Lets just hope my memory doesn't turn into the old man's. The guards, random citizens with spears, are keeping something away from the village... a monster? No wait, its...

"Yuri Lowell! Do something about your... pet."

Repede? I kneel in front of my friend. Finally, a little normality. And Repede seems happy to see me.

"Honestly!" The guard seems annoyed, "Haven't we told you to keep this... thing on a leash?"

Oh, bad move. Repede growls at the guard and backs him into a wall. He won't hurt anyone who can't fight back, but he will intimidate. A 'bark vs. bite' kind of deal. The other guard cries out, "Yuri! Get him to stop!"

"...Stop. Bad dog. No," I say with as little emotion as I cared to put into that, not moving to help them in the least. Even so, Repede backs off. The guards complain about him not being able to enter the village, but I honestly couldn't care. Its when they deliver a message from the mayor himself that I bother to glance in their direction. Playing near the Desian ranch? "I don't 'play'. Even if I did, do you think I'd be stupid enough to 'play' near that place?" That, luckily, satisfies them enough to let us through. From there, its a short walk to the place Flynn calls the Iselia woods.

* * *

Once inside these woods, Repede barks at some plants, his fur stiffening. I blink. Flynn shakes his head, "Ah, that's right. Repede hates this place. Why do you think that is?" I shrug, honestly not knowing the answer. Repede, meanwhile, runs off into the foothills, "Ah! Not again! You'd think he'd at least take us with him."

"Hey, its not like we can't fend for ourselves," I throw the sheathe off my blade to demonstrate, "No matter what Yuan says, we're perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves."

"...that got to you, didn't it?"

"Nope," After a glare from Flynn, I amend, "Okay, maybe a little. But what really pisses me off is that he expects me to just sit around while Estelle's going through this whole 'World Regeneration' thing with nobody but Yuan and Rita. No offense," I add after remembering Rita and Flynn are 'siblings'. Flynn shrugs.

"It's not a problem," He sighs, "Rita broke the news to me last night. She's leaving with Estelle tomorrow and expects me to take care of the school in her absence," After a glance from me, he adds, "Well, her actual words were, 'When I get back, the school better not be burned to the ground'. But she means well," A short pause, "Its going to be... different without her."

"So you both already talked this through?"

Flynn nods, "She trusts me to look after the both of us while she's away, you know," I roll my eyes, "We've said our goodbyes and stuff... Yuri, I really think I'm gonna miss her," Flynn looks away.

"Well, yeah, she's your sister," Flynn turns to stare at the treeline, "I'm not going to lie. Being separated from people and places you've known for a long time is going to be... hard, at best. That's a big part of why this journey's going to be so hard on Estelle and Rita. Make sure they really feel at home tonight, alright?"

"Okay," Flynn suddenly lurches off to a fork in the road, "This is my stop. See you tomorrow."

Beyond the trees set up in a linear pattern is a large fence, made out of some sort of metal. The sign to my right isn't needed to tell me where we are. This is the same Desian Ranch we were warned against going to. Flynn turns around, heading inside. He didn't have the time to react when I grabbed his arm, "Flynn, what the hell? Why here?"

"Listen, I KNOW we're not supposed to be here, but... when's the last time you followed the rules?" Flynn shook me off and repeated, "I know I'm not supposed to be here, but..." He trails off, "There's someone I need to tell about the oracle... I haven't been caught yet, and I don't intend to be now. So just go home. I'll see you tomorrow," And thus, Flynn heads inside again, and I have to grab his arm again, "Yuri!"

I smirk at him, "You said it yourself, when's the last time I followed the rules?" I take a few steps in front of him, having to defend him now that he's a magic user, "You have to run at the first sign of trouble, got it?" I think my response surprised Flynn, but all the same he nodded, a slight smile upon his face. And thus, we creep towards the building. No guards posted outside, always good. We duck behind some bushes, check for patrolling guards and Flynn leads me around to a barbed wire portion of the fence. Moments later, a woman with neat, gray hair sneaks beyond the guard's line of sight and approaches the fence.

"Hey, Marble!" Flynn greets, careful to keep his voice down. The woman seems pleasantly surprised to find us here, smiling warmly as she greets Flynn.

The woman turns to me, "Is this the famous Yuri Lowell?"

"Famous, am I?" I taunt. Flynn turns away, though not before a hint of blush catches my eye, "Yeah, I'm Yuri."

"A pleasure to meet you," She smiles. Marble seems like the type of old woman everyone turns to. A neighborhood grandmother. I like that.

Flynn and Marble chat about the oracle for a while. Marble seems more excited about it than the villagers were. She, at the very least, seems hopeful that the Cruxis Angels can fix the world. I don't really understand why they need Estelle to do so, but the amount of influence they have is simply amazing, when you look at it. They bring up the last Chosen's failure. Flynn openly wonders if Estelle will be alright.

"Don't worry. She's got Rita and the 'great' Yuan Ka-Fai. She'll be fine," I reassure him. A second later, a sparkle catches my eye, "Hey... Marble, right? What's that?" I gesture to her hand, where the same gem worn by both the mercenary and myself, apparently. Flynn called them Exspheres, right?

"Oh... this?" She holds up her hand, "I'm not quite sure. They placed it on me shortly after I arrived here."

"It looks like an Exsphere..." Flynn notes, his expression suggesting he's kicking himself for not having noticed it sooner, "but... it looks different."

I peel the bandage on my hand back, looking at the Exsphere for the first time. It's different that Marble's. Partially because its brighter. A bright blue instead of a deep red. The biggest difference is the crest on mine. A mount with what looks like a formula around it. Keeping the Exsphere in check? I'm not sure.

"Ah," Flynn states, "Yeah, that's... it's missing a Key Crest. But what will happen if we don't get her one?"

"Not sure," I confess, "But I have a bad feeling about these things," One look at Flynn's expression. I cave, "...I'll get one tonight. I promise."

"Seriously?" Flynn asks. Upon my affirmative, he nods and smiles, "Thanks, Yuri. I owe you one."

A smirk, "I'll be holding onto that, you know."

Marble smiles, telling us not to trouble ourselves. This triggers the memories of me risking everything and troubling myself for the sake of helping people. I laugh off her concern, telling her not to worry. For a moment, things seem like they're going to be okay.

"Hey, old hag! What the hell are you doing over there?"

Then, of course, things go straight to hell.

* * *

**I felt like this was a good stopping point, so I don't care if the chapter fell a little short of the others. They're all about five-six pages on OpenOffice. Maybe a little more so for the first two, I'm not sure.**

**...The first-person POV really doesn't suit my writing style. In an effort to make it go smoother (for me), the next chapter will (experimentally) be written in past tense, like in third-person. Tell me, honestly, if that feels better, okay?**

**STILL don't feel like I've gotten Flynn as in-character as I can, but I'm trying! So please, honest comments on the characterization. And notice how Estelle is not a klutz. How will this effect the game, I wonder?**

**...did I spell 'Iselia' wrong in past chapters? I don't really care enough to go back and check, I'm just wondering.**

**Party Member(s) at this time:**

**Yuri Lowell (Lloyd Irving)**

**Flynn Scifo (Genis Sage)**


	5. Home Sweet Home I Guess

**Disclaimer: ToV and ToS do not belong to me.**

**Welcome back to Vesperian Symphonia! To recap, Yuri has mysteriously landed in Sylvarant, a dying world where Estelle is the Chosen One, Flynn is a mage, Rita is a school teacher and really shouldn't be, and a mysterious mercenary called Yuan insults Yuri's skills with a sword. Estelle has received an Oracle and Flynn has broken the Universe by breaking the law and entering the Desian Human Ranch with Yuri tagging along! Where we left off, out duo was about to be caught! Will they escape? Will the old woman get her key crest? Why am I asking questions you all probably know the answers to? Stay tuned to find out!**

**...also, a reminder: I'm writing in past tense for this chapter only, just to see what if feels like. DIFFERENT TENSE, not POV. Approval=continued writing in past tense.**

* * *

I grasped Flynn's wrist, "We gotta get out of here! NOW!"

"But... Marble..." Flynn stared back at the old woman. We couldn't break her out through those barbed wires, Flynn. Just as I move to explain that, though, Marble shook her head, ushering him away. With her help goading him away I managed to find us a nice sized shrubbery where we could hear everything going on. And hear we did.

"What are you doing over here?"

"Who said you could slack off? Get back to work!"

"...I'm sorry."

"What's with that look, huh?"

"Look's like someone's got an attitude problem!"

"No, of course not, I..."

"Shaddup! You two, take her to the back! We're going to give her a little lesson on respect!

Two simultaneous 'yeah!'s followed. The barbarians grabbed her by the arms and forced her to the floor, slapping her once. It was here that I had one of the toughest challenges of my life: Restraining Flynn while restraining myself. Once I heard the fading of their footsteps, I peeked through, seeing nothing from my location. Marble's ragged clothes disappeared behind the corner of the wall. I cursed.

"What now, Yuri?" Flynn asked, peeking out from his spot kneeling to my right. From my vantage point I spotted a better one: a cliff-side overlooking the entire ranch. It'd be a slight challenge to climb, but there were worse situations I could get into. Like being stabbed and falling hundreds of feet to my death. Checking for guards, I moved to the nearest brush and motioned for Flynn to follow when the coast was clear. It seemed strange, having to protect him, but he's not nearly as strong now as he was when we were on Terca Lumeries. This method gets us to the cliffs, where scaling them was as easy as willing myself to bound upward and making it. Not so far off from Caer Bocram jumps, though Flynn needed a little help.

Ragou's men were nothing compared to these rats. Three men, whipping a defenseless old woman, while her friends could do nothing but sit back and watch. It made my stomach curl. Beside me, Flynn gaped in shock at the treatment. One of us needed to say it, and Flynn was in a horror-induced shock, so I took up the job, "Flynn! We've gotta do something!"

"How?" Flynn's words caught me off guard. He was usually the one with the plan.

I shook of my momentary shock enough to focus. Rita once told me even a novice mage's fire balls could travel thirty feet if uninterrupted by the surroundings. Since, in battle, Flynn didn't seem like a novice, I'd assume he wasn't a novice. The distance was roughly over thirty feet. It could work. And with me as a diversion, he could easily slip out the back. No one would know anyone from the village was involved.

I relayed my plan to Flynn, who immediately rejected it on the grounds of putting me at risk. Sigh. Still Flynn, "We don't have much choice if we're going to help her. Besides, I'll promise you now they won't even see my face," I stared him in the eye and asked, "Are you really going to make me use that favor now? Seriously?"

The swordsman turned mage shook his head, "No, there is no need. I just... you're really going to put yourself at risk for a stranger?"

"Why not?" I shrugged, "I've got nothing major planned for tomorrow," Flynn's expression made me go serious, "Do you need to take another look down there? That woman is suffering. The least we can do is ease her pain for the time being. Understood?"

I seriously cannot believe I had to tell Flynn all that. He sighed, "All right. Just promise they won't see your face, okay?"

"Hey, I already made that promise!" I stepped forward. Flynn readied his Kendama and cast the fireballs through the air, hitting the Desians and knocking one out. Sweet. One less for me to possibly fight. By the time they turned around, Flynn was as far back as possible, half-way down the cliff-side. I jumped across the gate and ran for the cliff. All I had to do was slide down that, and I was good. Then, because I'm cursed, a muffled sound came from the other side of the bushes, causing the guards to stop and turn. I too stopped upon hearing it and ran back. Dammit, Flynn!

The guards drew their weapons and ran at me. Luckily, they were only a little better than Barbos' men. Knocking them out was as tough as jumping over their heads. Unfortunately, a lot more guards decided they wanted some. From what I could see, Marble was alright, so I ran for the cliff and jumped. The fall wasn't that bad. I ended up hopping down a few more afterwords, but I made it out alive. That's the main thing.

* * *

Maybe because of timing on his part or luck on mine, I somehow landed next to Flynn. The blond ran up without a second thought, "Hey, are you alright?"

"Dammit, Flynn! What the hell was that?" I set my toughest glare on him.

The bashful expression on the commandant's face almost made me laugh. I swear, it was like we were kids again, "I cut my leg on a thorn and ended up tripping... they saw your face, didn't they?"

"Don't worry about it," I turned away from him, crossing my arms, "I took out the ones that saw me. You didn't think I'd break my promise, did you?" I tossed in a reassuring smirk to seal my argument, "Now, you have a sister to say goodbye to. Shouldn't you get home?"

"But-"

"No buts, Flynn. I'm fine. Go home, I'll see you tomorrow."

Flynn tossed me one last look, before nodding affirmatively, "All right, Yuri. I'll see you later," The new Flynn has the same confidence issues he had when we were younger, I thought. That got resolved when he got his first sword. I wonder what will resolve it now...

Well, from what I gathered, 'home' seemed to be at the end of this forest. Let's see if I can find it.

* * *

...apparently 'home' is this large, garden-esque house that puts even Estelle's fancy Chosen house to shame. Build on top of hard bed rock, which means natural disasters wouldn't effect it as bad. Strategic at the same time as breath-taking. Whomever built this house must be a master craftsman. The grave on the west side of the house was interesting, though.

"...Yuri? Ah, Yuri!"

Repede rushed in after I walked across the gangplank across the stream that crossed through here, supplying fresh water to the area. The door opened, and the familiar male walked out, waving me over.

I stopped for a moment, then went along with it and smiled, "Hanks!"

"Glad to see you made it back in one piece, Yuri!" The man smiled, then went back to making... something. Closer inspection revealed that 'something' to be a perfectly crafted wooden figurine in the shape of Estelle. With wings. Must have been requested in celebration of the whole 'oracle, Chosen to angel' thing. Its not huge, small enough to sit on any surface, but still large enough to see all her features carved out, making her life-like.

I matched his smile, "Well, life goes this way and that way," I shrug, "I could come back tomorrow without a head. Who knows?"

"Who, indeed?" Hanks agrees, turning back to the figurine. A silence follows, then I remember my other promise to Flynn.

"Say, Hanks?" He stops moving the carving knife, turning his head slightly so I know he's listening, "Any chance you could make a Key Crest for someone with an Exsphere already equipped? Or," a thought came to me, "is it too late once its already attached to the skin?"

The old man strokes his beard in thought, "Well, the Exsphere can be removed at any time. Its dangerous, but you'd have to carve the Key Crest into an accessory and use that in place of the regular mount... why?"

"...I met someone today without a Key Crest. A traveling mercenary."

Hanks scoffed at my lie, "That's baloney, and you know it! If he stole an Exsphere from a Desian, it would already have a Key Crest on it," Hanks stared me down. Suddenly, the buttons on my boots were rather interesting, "Look me in the eye, Yuri. I'm not making that Key Crest until you tell me the truth."

So, I told him the truth. Every last word of it... okay, not the whole 'trapped in another world' thing, but everything else.

* * *

"You went to the ranch?"

Well, that went over about as well as you'd expect. Even after knowing everything I'd done for Marble, he still got mad about the whole 'breaking and entering in the first place', though to be honest, he seemed more... frightened than mad.

The next thing out of his mouth surprised me. It was about the Exsphere attached to my hand. Did the Desians see it? No, I answered. Because they didn't. They saw a thief striking down their men before jumping off a cliff. Or at least, that's what I'm hoping for. Is there any particular reason for hiding this thing? I ask so, and the response I get is different from what I'd expect.

"I was going to wait until you were older, but you deserve to know," The old man lead me outside, to the grave I noticed earlier. Up close, the words were as clear to read as crystal: Anna Lowell. Loving Mother. I blinked. Mom was dead, that wasn't a surprise, but why...? Unless...

"Those Desians killed my mom, didn't they?" I asked. Hanks nodded, "And it was because of this, wasn't it?" Another nod, "And you thought it was a good idea keeping this from me because...?"

Hanks sighed, taking a flower from the garden and placing it on the grave, "...your Exsphere is a keepsake of your mother's... her Last Memento. She gave her life to protect it and you. I didn't want either of those things to fall into the Desians' hands in some stupid revenge attempt by some stupid kid."

"...so you'll make the Key Crest?"

"Wha-? What did I just tell you?"

I looked down, "My mother is just one of the people added to the list of the people the Desians killed. I'm not going to let the list expand, even if it means risking my own life!"

In all my life, I can only remember ever having one real fight with Hanks, about how my mother died. To prevent any guilt on my part, the entire Lower Quarter kept it a secret from me that she'd died because of a complication during my birth. Unfortunately, they didn't try to keep from Flynn, who told me the moment he knew. That ended with Hanks leaving for a walk outside the barrier.

This fight ended the same way, "Yuri Lowell, you-!" He couldn't even form a full sentence in his anger. He just took off, leaving me behind. I watched him push past Flynn, Estelle, Yuan and Rita.

"Let me guess... you heard that just now?"

Flynn sighed, the exact same way he did after Hanks left, "Sorry, Yuri," I could recite this from memory. It's logged in my mind as 'The Only Sincere Apology Flynn's Ever Given Me', "This is all my fault. It's because of me that-"

"Yes, we've established that its your fault," I interrupted before he could get to 'blame'. Now THERE is a rambling for you, "Don't worry. Everything will work out."

"...alright..." Flynn sighed.

Estelle smiled, "Yuri, can we go up to the terrace? I want to talk to you," I smiled at her, before catching Yuan moving behind her to my mom's grave.

"In a minute."

"Alright. I'll wait here."

Yuan was bowed above the grave stone, staring at the inscription, "Anna Lowell... this was your mother?"

"Yeah. You heard what happened, didn't you?"

Yuan stared at the inscription, "There is only one name on here. Is your father... still alive?"

"Guess I wouldn't know," I knew as much about my real father as I did about any knight from Flynn's brigade. Knew his loyalty, that's it, "But it doesn't really matter. Hanks, Estelle, Flynn and I guess Rita are my family now, you know?"

"...yes. That was a foolish mistake on my part," Yuan sat back down, running over the smooth stone with his hand. Weird... maybe he has a thing for graves? I don't know.

Estelle walked over, "Are you ready now?"

"Yeah..."

* * *

The terrace overlooked the entire wood. Despite the lack of me admitting anything to this caliber... it was quite beautiful. Estelle looked over it, as looked over Terca Lumeries so often when we were riding with Ba'ul. I found myself staring over it as I apologized about not finishing her present, something I wasn't aware of. Estelle didn't seem to concerned about it, so the matter was brushed off.

"I'm glad I'm able to spend this birthday with you, at least," She stared up at the sky, her eyes focusing on each of the stars.

I placed a hand on her shoulders, "And you'll have plenty more birthdays. Just keep living and regenerate the world quickly. We'll get there. One step at a time."

"Alright," She looked up, "So Remiel is my father, huh? It's pretty strange to think about, but I'm the child of an angel."

"Does any of that matter?"

She turned back to me and tilted her head to the left, "What do you mean?"

"Well, no matter how you look at it, Frank and Phaidra are still your family, right? They brought you up?" She nodded, "As long as that's true, you're as much Frank's daughter as you are Remiel's," I didn't bother mentioning any and all doubts I had. She didn't need to hear that now.

Estelle looked down, "...yeah. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," I consoled, "You're overwhelmed. Anyone would be. For now, you just need some rest. What time are we leaving tomorrow?"

"...noon. You'll be on time, right? You won't miss it?"

I smirked, "And let that Yuan jerk get all the fun? Don't think so," I sent a wink her way and she giggled. Rita called for her after a moment. With a sigh and a hug, she departed, leaving me alone on the terrace. From below, the group waved a final goodbye from the ground. Except Yuan and Rita. But that's to be expected.

"...alright. I guess I'll make that present now."

And with that, I set to work. Lets just hope watching Karol fix up other people's stuff taught me something about crafting.

* * *

**...As much as I know you want to read about Yuri failing to craft a necklace, I'll leave that part out.**

**So... I think my characterization is getting a little better with Flynn and Yuri, but now I feel like I'm failing with Estelle (never liked playing her). Still, this chapter feels smoother. Maybe it helped that this was finished at nearly two in the morning. Yay me. Be honest in your reviews about that, as well as the present v. past tense thing (Note how I use v instead of vs. It's a court case!). And I'll see you guys in two weeks!**

**Party Member(s) at this Time:**

**Yuri Lowell (Lloyd Irving)**


	6. Attack on Iselia

**Disclaimer: ToV and ToS do not belong to me.**

**Okay, I'm liking the past tense thing, so I'll keep using it. Feels more... natural. Anyway, welcome back... I guess. Ya know what, just read the chapter.**

* * *

One long night, three failed attempts and a twenty minute nap later, the necklace was finally finished.

Yeah, it's not the best quality. Still, it's the best I could do, especially on such short notice. I'm no craftsman. Never had been. But that's not the point, is it? Of course not. The point is, the necklace is finished and it's three hours before noon. Packing my stuff took only a few minutes, and then I was out the door. Across the bridge, and...

I turned back.

Hank stood in front of the grave, not really mourning or anything. He just stood there, staring at the eulogy. He turned around when he noticed me.

"Hey," I smiled in that easy-going way that most people characterized me by.

Hank nodded, and deposited something in my hand. A gold-colored circle with the center hollowed out, surrounded by symbols I didn't recognize, "Well, there's the Key Crest you wanted," He nodded, "Just don't go wasting it."

I nodded back, "Thanks," I turned around, "And, for the record..." I sighed, "I'm sorry."

There. The two hardest words in the dictionary. Hank threw something over my shoulder, landing at my feet. I turned back around, meeting the old man face to face, "It's some things you'll need for your journey. Knowing you, you'll have forgotten to pack a map, or any money, or food," I rolled my eyes, conveniently forgetting to mention that all I did pack was some spare clothes and my sword.

"Thanks. But how'd you know I was leaving?"

Hank rolled his eyes this time, "Oh please. You're not subtle or unpredictable in any sense of either word."

"Haha, how nice," I raised up one hand, smiling loosely. Like I wasn't leaving for who knows how long. Just like last time, "You take care of yourself, old man."

"Same with you, Yuri," He laughed, "It's certainly not going to be as entertaining without you here. Just remember to come back and visit every now and again."

I flashed him a quick thumbs up and turned around. As if on que, Flynn ran over, "Ah, Flynn. Perfect timing. You ready to go?" He was breathing heavily. Guess running all the way here wore him out, "Oh, by the way, you think we have to see Marble before we go? I've got the Key Crest."

"T-that's nice, Yuri..." Flynn panted, "b-but we have a more pressing issue."

"Oh?" I asked, not really liking his tone.

"Yeah, like Estelle and the others already leaving!"

I sighed, "Dammit, Estelle!" Turning back to Hank, I gave a short wave, "I'll be going now, Hank! Wish me luck!" Without giving him any time in response, I ran out Flynn and Repede following behind me. Leaving without telling me is strange, even for Estelle. What's going on in her head right now?

* * *

"Yuri," One of the guards greeted me, "Frank was looking for you."

Frank? Estelle's 'father'? Okay, sure. Maybe he knows what's up. Flynn and I ventured to the eastern side of town, where that pretty townhouse of Estelle's is located. This time, we entered without knocking, which doesn't appear to matter. Frank and Phaidra are sitting at the table, like they expected us to just come barging in. Probably so.

"Oh, hello Yuri, Flynn," Phaidra greeted us with something of a bitter taste to her words, "I was wondering when you two would get here."

I don't beat around the bush, "Where's Estelle?"

"She's gone," Frank spoke with sorrow in his voice, "She did leave something behind for you, though. Wrote it last night," He handed a letter to me, handwritten in Estelle's curly, fancy penmanship. I sighed, and began reading.

* * *

_Dear Yuri,_

_By the time you read this letter, I will be long gone. I want to apologize for lying to you about the time we have to leave. But you have to understand, the Journey of World Regeneration is a dangerous one. Those who have accompanied me -Professor Rita and Yuan- may not survive. I did not want to take that risk with you. You're my best friend. I'm not going to lose you._

_Please, take care. Live happily in the world I will have created. Promise me that._

_Farewell,_

_Estelle_

* * *

"W-what is this?" I asked in disbelief, "A will?"

Frank looked down at his shoes, probably hoping we would miss the sorrow in his eyes, "Something of that sort," He confessed, "You see, Estelle-"

And... cue explosion.

Everything in the house shook from the explosion. Frank grabbed Phaidra and huddled into a corner where there were no books or other falling debris. Flynn and I grabbed onto some shelves on the wall, avoiding the random books and pictures falling from the top. When it stopped, Flynn and I both fell to the floor, not so much from the shaking as from the sudden stop of it.

We went to help Frank and Phaidra, but the woman shooed us away, "Forget about me!" She coughed, "Go make sure the other villagers all alright!" With little other choice, we ran outside the house. Just south, another house stood... or at least, it had stood. The home was now on fire, Desians shouting out for it to burn, burn. They then saw us and made the mistake of trying to kill us. Two down, an unknown amount of enemies to go. Flynn asked me what the Desians were doing here, and I gave him an honest answer: I don't know.

We then made out way to the schoolhouse, which was apparently a place of refuge in the village. There, protecting everyone inside, a lone guard stood up to two Desians with a pitchfork -a farm-tool that was barely a weapon- to keep them away, shouting at them to get back. They cornered him, raised their weapons, and... fell to the ground as one of Flynn's spells hit them. The man gave us an Orange Gel as a thank you, and told us that many people were still in the center of town. We ran as fast as we could.

Along the way, we passed Flynn's house. He stopped for a moment in horror to watch the home he'd built with his sister burn. He mumbled something about finally having a home -something I didn't quite hear- then told me to forget it. Shrugging, I decided to pry later, rescue people now. We ran past the house to get to the Town Square.

A Desian lieutenant stood in front of the town gate, where a large collection of Desians stood out from the crowd of plain citizens in the square. He called out, "'Yuri Lowell, come forth!" Of course, what choice did I have but to accept his generous invitation.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?" I snapped at them, "Don't you think tormenting these people once a week is enough?"

Several of the Desians exchange confused glances at each other. The lieutenant asked what the hell I was talking about. That's when the I heard the next familiar voice on my list, "Ignore him. He speaks nonsense."

Ah hell no...

He continued speaking, oblivious to my incredulous stare, "Listen up, you inferior beings. I am Lord Zagi, one of the five Desian Grand Cardinals who rules over the Ranch where we superior beings take care of you inferior beings," The red-haired, jump-suit wearing freak stared directly at me, his smirk that I'd come to hate so much growing, "Yuri Lowell!" I winced, "You have been accused of breaking and entering into our Human Ranch, in violation of the Non-Aggression Treaty of Iselia. How do you plead?" Before I could answer, he laughed obnoxiously and stated, "It doesn't matter! You've been found guilty!"

"If I'm already guilty, then why did you ask?" I inquired. The Mayor, standing behind me, walked around to confront me, snapping at me for disobeying him. I scoffed, ignoring Flynn's guilty eyes, "Hey, I always break the rules. What did you expect?"

"Not to have half my village dead!" The man snapped. Flynn looked like he was going to say something, but I shot him a look that told him to shut up or die. Wisely, he kept his mouth shut.

"Now what do you want?" I asked, setting my glare at Zagi, "You're a little late to try murdering the Chosen again. She's already gone."

At first their was silence, as they comprehended what I said. Then the lieutenant laughed, "OH. I get it now. THEY are after the Chosen!"

I raised my eyebrow, "They?"

"It doesn't matter," The Desian leader spoke, "You not only committed breaking and entering, you also assaulted our guards and interfered with our property."

"Property!" Flynn spat, angered, "She's a living being! You can't just treat her like cattle!"

"Oh? You were there too?" Zagi grinned. I slapped my forehead as the villagers stared at Flynn angrily, "Well then, you'll just have to join Mr. Lowell in his punishment. I've prepared an... appropriate opponent for his crimes," He whistled, and a group of Desians brought in an ugly green monster clothed in rags with a collar around it's neck. It screamed and tore at the chain, desperate to get away from the Desians holding it. And they seemed like they were having a hard time of it, too.

All I could manage to say was, "...what is that thing?"

"Now let the punishment begin!" Zagi began cackling madly. I positioned my sword in front of myself, so I could defend against damage, before realizing the trajectory of it's attack and rushing to cover Flynn, who pulled out his Kendama from... somewhere. I winced as the attack, not properly defended against, threw me backwards.

"Damn it!"

Flynn and I ducked out of the way, in separate directions, as all the villagers fled to the safety of nearby buildings, giving us more space. Perfect, now we won't need to worry about civilian injuries during the fight. The monster goes charging after Flynn, so naturally I'm left with the task of distracting the thing while he casts spells.

To be honest, beyond smashing it's fists down, it really didn't have any sort of way to defend itself. The only attack it could do was surround itself with some sort of dark energy, and that didn't last long. I just bombarded it with attacks while Flynn hit it with spells from afar. It roared in pain, then knocked me back. Humph. Lucky shot.

It then made a beeline straight for Flynn. Shoot! I jumped to my feet, running, but not quite fast enough to keep it from landing it's first blow on the knight. Here, Flynn neither had the training, nor the strength to recover, and he didn't have an Exsphere to aid him. So he just ended up flying backwards, into a wall. I heard a crack and every sense heightened.

"FLYNN!" I shouted. The knight sat up, unhurt, and held up his broken Kendama with a surprisingly neutral face. I nodded and turned back to the monster. It roared, holding its head in its misshapen hands and rolling it around, though why I'm not sure. I rush towards it and finally succeed in killing it, stabbing my sword through its guts. After removing my blade from said guts, I stepped back and sniffed it, "Ew, dead monster smell."

The Desian lieutenant gasped loudly, pointing to my -for some reason- now uncovered hand, "Sir! That boy has an Exsphere!"

"Watch who you're calling 'boy'!" I shouted back.

Zagi ignored my shout in favor of examining the sphere from afar, "Could that be...? The Angelus project?"

Flynn raised an eyebrow, "Angelus project?"

"Give it to me!"

"Yeah, not gonna happen!" I shouted, standing in front of the now defenseless Flynn. He's smart, but hopefully he'll ignore his 'hero' instincts and let me do all the fighting, "I've kinda got a reason to keep a hold of it. Seeing as you Desians murdered it's previous user," My eyes narrowed.

Zagi's eyebrow raised, and for the first time since... actually, I can't remember a past time that this happened, but he actually looked somewhat sane, "What? No, that woman was-" He was interrupted suddenly by a pair of large green arms wrapping around him, holding him away from us.

Flynn gasped, "What-?

"_**Run...Away...Flynn...Yuri..."**_

I've said this once, I'll say it again: Ah hell no...

"Wha- what? That's- Marble? No, it couldn't be!" Flynn's voice shook as he tried to keep a clear head, but I wouldn't blame him for losing it right now. I'm pretty shell-shocked myself.

"_**Uh...ugh...guh...get away...hurry!..."**_

"NO!" Flynn shouted. The monster seemed to sigh.

"_**Flynn...thank you...for everything...goodbye..."**_

A light suddenly engulfed the monster that was once Marble. With a final cry of pain, the light spread and the ground shook. When the light finally vanished, there was no more Marble. Only the injured body of Zagi, holding his arm. An arm that had now been severed completely. He screamed out in pain as his fellow Desians surrounded him, trying to protect him. Flynn, meanwhile, crouched down, picking up a speck of light -the Exsphere?- and holding it close to him.

Zagi smiled and laughed madly, "Haha... hahahahahahahaha! Yuri! As long as you have that... we will always come after you! Always!" He cackled madly as he warped away, leaving us: The angry villagers, a grieving Flynn and me, Yuri Lowell, now the scapegoat for the town's destruction... oh joy...

"Look what you've done!" The mayor cried, "Our village! This is all your fault!"

I glared at him, "Calm down. Making rash decisions isn't going to bring back the lives lost here... or repair your village."

"They marked you as their enemy! Do you know what that means? It means this village will never be at peace as long as you're hear! You've destroyed our village, killed our people!"

I shook my head, "No, that was the Desians," I matched his glare, "What are you going to do, exile me? I was leaving anyway."

I turned to leave, when I heard the one voice I'm always wishing would shut up, "Wait! It wasn't completely his fault!" Flynn shook his head, "It was partially my fault too. I lead him to the Desian Ranch."

The Mayor seemed to consider this, and finally stated, "Alright. Then by the power invested in me, as Mayor, I hereby banish Yuri Lowell and Flynn Scifo from the village of Iselia. Leave now!" The villagers all glared at us. A few tried to stand up for us, but their voices were lost in the crowd of the people feeling the heartbreak of loss.

I sighed, "Yeah, because making it official REALLY helps things!" I shouted back. Then I turned to Flynn, "You're an idiot. But I'm kinda glad you're on my side."

"Hey," Flynn smirked, "SOMEONE has got to help you sort out your problems."

I sent a smile his way, then frowned, "You know you can never come back now, right?"

Flynn shrugged, "Where would I stay here, anyhow? My house is gone," Hm, good point, "Besides, you're gonna need me."

"Yeah, I'm gonna need a weaponless brainiac," I stated coolly. Flynn sighed and headed for the exit. Just before I could follow him, though, a hand grasped my shoulder, forcing me to turn around. Frank stared down at his feet.

"Yuri... please take care of my daughter."

"I don't need you to tell me to do that," I waved him off, "I'll send you a post card, though. Assuming they let it into the village."

Catching up to Flynn, I put my hand on his shoulder, trying my best to comfort him. He gave me this sad sort of smile, and we left behind Iselia, The City of Oracles, now coated in a fresh layer of ash...

* * *

**I don't like the Mayor :( He's mean, and hopefully got eaten by an Eggbear.**

**I've put some thought into it, and decided to put the sidequests and non-required scenes into the story as 'Optional' Chapters. When you see the 'Optional' label on a chapter, you may skip it. And don't worry about Flynn's whole 'no weapons' thing: He gets a new one soon.**

**Party Members at this time:**

**Yuri Lowell (Lloyd Irving)**

**Flynn Scifo (Genis Sage)**


	7. Optional! Nova's Caravan 1

**Disclaimer: ToV and ToS do not belong to me.**

**First optional Chapter! Yeah... for that reason, not nearly as long. Oh well.**

* * *

Between Flynn's lack of a weapon and the fact that we have to carry all our stuff by hand, exhaustion is pretty much self-explanatory. I sighed, stopping Flynn in his tracks.

"Enough. We've been walking for hours. I'm exhausted and, deny it all you want, I can see it on your face too."

Flynn sighed, "And just where are we gonna stop? Here?" He shook his head, "We're too exposed. Any monster attack would tear a camp to shreds in minutes."

"Fine, we'll keep going," I really, really hate when Flynn's right. A pillar of smoke caught my eye from the east of our location, "Hold up," I dragged him over in that direction, fighting past the monsters. Flynn kept on talking about how we're just wasting time and energy. Whatever.

When we reach the clearing, we find a rather large caravan. Reminds me of something one would see in a circus. I dragged Flynn to the caravan, literally dragged. He kept resisting, pulling away and scolding, "Yuri, this is someone else's! We can't just intrude like this!"

Ignoring him, I called out, "Hello? Anyone here?" Without answer, I yelled again, "Hello?"

"Hello? Who's there?" A female voice called back. A woman clothed in a blue dress and white bandana appeared from behind the caravan, apparently confused at the appearance of two -well, I guess we look like kids- near her home. She looked at us, blinked in confusion, and approached cautiously.

"Sorry for the trouble, Ma'am," Flynn, ever the gentleman, apologized in my stead, "We just wanted to know who was here. We'll leave now," He tugged at my sleeve.

"...I'm the only one here right now," She stated calmly, taking a few steps closer to us, "My family is out around here somewhere. Why are you so far from home? Are you on a pilgrimage?"

Flynn and I exchanged a glance. He turned back to her, "Ah, you wee, we're-"

"-on something like a pilgrimage," I answered for Flynn. Best not let her know the truth behind our exile. It's not the worst thing to happen in MY life, but Flynn can't remember anything.

"How admirable," The woman smiled, now somewhat trusting, "Please, rest here a little while. It will be a long journey, I'm sure," I nearly chuckled. She had no idea...

* * *

**...REALLY REALLY SHORT!**

**Party members at this time (Do I really need to do this?):**

**Yuri Lowell (Lloyd Irving)**

**Flynn Scifo (Genis Sage)**


End file.
